Marine NZ

MPA news May_June 2010
Author(s): MPA News

MPA news is a Global News and Analysis on Marine Protected Areas. In this May_June 2010 issue the education spotlight is on our very own Experiencing Marine Reserves programme.
This issue features :
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico contributing millions of litres of crude oil entering the water column daily
The MPA around the Chagos Archipelego touted as the largest MPA in the world, yet the degree in which fishing will be restricted remains unclear
MPA law enforcement
Whale Sanctuary in Tokelau
Phoenix Islands Protected Area starts fundraising; no-take area to increase over time and much more…

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Marine Reserves Have Rapid and Lasting Effects
Author(s): Benjamin S Halpern and Robert R Warner

This report reviews 112 independent measurements of 80 reserves to assess how marine reserves actually affect the area they are intended to protect. The authors submit that their study shows that the higher average values of density, biomass, average organism size, and diversity inside reserves (relative to controls) reach mean levels within a short (1–3 y) period of time and that the values are subsequently consistent across reserves of all ages (up to 40 y). Therefore, biological responses inside marine reserves appear to develop quickly and last through time. They conclude that this result should facilitate use of marine reserves in the management of marine resources.

Effects of Marine Reserves on Adjacent Fisheries
Author(s): Callum M Roberts et al

This paper discusses marine reserves as effective conservation and fishery management tools. The paper acknowledges that while there have been robust demonstrations of conservation benefits, benefits to fisheries remain controversial. The authors investigate the effects of marine reserves in Florida and St. Lucia and conclude that within five years of the creation of a network of marine reserves, adjacent fisheries were enhanced. The authors submit that their study confirms theoretical predictions that marine reserves can play a key role in supporting fisheries.

The Science of Marine Reserves
Author(s): PISCO

This paper is produced by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO). It discusses the science behind marine reserves as a management tool. It compares the type of protection marine reserves offer to other marine protection tools such as marine parks or marine sanctuaries and concludes that these tools do not generate the same effects as marine reserves as they provide far less protection. The paper notes that marine reserves are only one tool for managing ocean eco-systems, but notes that most recent scientific research shows that marine reserves usually boost the abundance, diversity and size of marine species living within their borders.

Why the International Community Needs to Help Create Marine Reserves
Author(s): Daniel Pauly

This is a presentation of Daniel Pauly from the ‘Sea Around Us Project’ from a meeting at the United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. It is an effective presentation demonstrating the stark decline in world fisheries, some of the economic issues associated with that.

No-take Reserve Networks: Protection for Fishery Populations and Marine Eco-systems
Author(s): Steven N Murray et al

This paper argues that improved management approaches are needed to reduce the rate at which humans are depleting exploited marine populations and degrading marine eco-systems. Networks of no-take marine reserves are argued to be a promising soluction to this problem. The authors submit that no-take marine reserves are process-orientated precautionary management strategies: as an addition to other conservation strategies, they can improve the status of exploited populations while conserving marine resources for future generations.

Plugging a Hole in the Ocean: The Emerging Science of Marine Reserves
Author(s): Jane Lubchenco et al

In this paper the authors briefly explore the challenges facing the world’s oceans today and the emerging tools available to manage the problem. They discuss the benefits of different levels of marine protection, and the recent literature on the scientific research of marine reserves. They also discuss the recently released Scientific Consensus Statement released by the AAAS. 

The Case for Data-less Marine Resource Management: Examples from Tropical Nearshore Finfisheries
Author(s): R E Johannes

Managing most marine finfisheries to achieve optimum yields is an unattainable dream. The author argues in this paper that protecting these resources from serious depletion through precautionary management seems the only practical option. However, the author accepts that even this is of limited application if scientific data is demanded for each managed fishery - there are too few researchers to do the work and, in any event, such research would usually not be cost-effective. The paper concludes that we need not merely precautionary management; we need data-less management.

Benefits Beyond Boundaries: The Fishery Effects of Marine Reserves
Author(s): Fiona Gell and Callum Roberts

This paper discusses the recent emergence of the idea of marine reserves as fisheries management tools combined with the developing interest in ecosystem-based management, and observations of incidental fisheries benefits from reserves established for conservation. In this paper the authors argue, in light of new evidence, that by integrating large-scale networks of marine reserves into fishery management, we could reverse global fishery declines and provide urgently needed protection for marine species and their habitats.

Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas
Author(s): American Association for the Advancement of Science

The Statement is a short and succinct summary of scientific knowledge about marine protected areas and marine reserves. The Statement is a joint effort of NCEAS (National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis) scientists and the academic scientists participating in a meeting on marine reserves convened by COMPASS (Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea). The Statement is based on results from a working group of international scientists from NCEAS who were charged with developing better scientific understanding of marine protected areas and marine reserves. It was drafted in response to requests from a wide range of stakeholders for a succint, non-technical (but scientifically accurate) summary of the current scientific knowledge about marine reserves.